Whinnychester
A long time ago, before Equestria was created, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi were seperated into tribes, kept apart by hatred. The story of their reconciling is told every year on Hearth's Warming Eve, the story of the founding of Equestria. Yet the three leaders credited with coming together to form this kingdom were not the only ones sent by their respective tribes. A small entourage was dispatched from the Earth Pony tribe in the opposite direction from Chancellor Puddinghead. They found suitable land, but land that was already inhabited. Another tribe of Earth Ponies, more primitive than the settlers and who had never had contact with outsiders, lived there and it wasn't long before conflict threatened to rear it's head. In order to forestall war, Jewel Stonecrown, the young shamaness of the primitive tribe, offered the newcomers a contest by champion. The newcomers had seen the primitive tribes strength, and almost to the last pony denied the offer. Except for one pony, an unassuming young construction worker named Mallet Ivycoat. Mallet accepted the challenge, despite protests and orders not to, and met the primitive tribes champion in single combat. The other tribes champion was a beast of a pony known as Redeye Rockjaw, and the strongest stallion in the entire tribe. Mallet's strength couldn't compare - but his mind could. Mallet was nimbler and smarter than the hulking pony and, after a long and grueling battle, was ultimately victorious. The primitive tribe was certain he had cheated, but the shamaness had fallen in love with Mallet's courage. She walked out onto the battlefield and, to the surprise of every pony of both tribes, offered her own hand in marriage to the hero. Mallet saw her beauty and kindness, and agreed. The two tribes lived in close proximity, the primitive tribe in their tents and the settlers behind the walls of Whinnychester. Over generations, they intermingled, as ponies of both sides left their tribes to live amongst the other. The city expanded ever onward, ruled by the descendants of Ivycoat and Stonecrown, until eventually the rest of the tribe was absorbed into the city. Queen Lapis Ivycoat-Stonecrown was the last ruler to use the full names of both founders; her son became King Granite Ivycrown, finding it fitting for the green-hued crown he had had created. His descendants have used that surname for centuries. Jewel Stonecrown tied her people to the land, and her mere existence — like the existence of her mother and grandmother before her — caused the land to be fruitful, or so the legends say. Almost all inhabitants of Whinnychester believe in this tale, and that the Monarch's since have inherited her bond to the land. They believe that as long as their Queen remains healthy, as long as the blood of Stonecrown still flows through the veins of whoever wears the Crown of Ivy, the land will flourish. Despite it's origins as an Earth Pony city, Whinnychester has long since integrated ponies of all types into it's kingdom. The current Monarch is Queen Gilding Ivycrown II. The Monarchs have very little responsibilities beyond existing, for the good of the land. Yet the aging Queen is most beloved of her subjects. So beloved in fact, that the recent drop in harvest has more ponies worried about the Queen's health than the kingdom's well being. Truthfully, the Parliament is more involved in the governing of the kingdom, yet the Queen is more than just a well-to-do Earth Pony: she's a figurehead, a symbol of the entire kingdom, and its most recognizable face. Category:Places Category:Whinnychester